George Low's sons John Low, Mark Low '78, and G. David Low (left to right).

New Gallery Honors
Achievements in Space
A new gallery honoring NASA pioneer and former Rensselaer President George M. Low was opened to the public Friday, Sept. 27. Low, a 1948 graduate of Rensselaer, led the Apollo Mission that landed men on the moon. The permanent gallery displays an extensive collection of materials, given by the Low family, that recall Low's contribution to the space program and to Rensselaer.

New Head of Communications NamedJane Van Ryan joins Rensselaer as the assistant vice president for communications. Van Ryan, former principal of VanRyanBanks Inc., will lead the Office of Communications, which includes marketing, media relations, presidential communications, and university events.

$22.5 Million Announced for Bioengineering and MedicineNew York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced that Rensselaer will receive $22.5 million to create the Gen*NY*sis Center for Bioengineering and Medicine. The research center will be housed in Rensselaers new Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Mapping ProteinsTwo Rensselaer researchers are creating a better data-mining technique to determine basic rules of how proteins form. They are producing a 3-D image of each known protein and then reducing the image to a simpler 2-D representation, called a contact map. The map reveals the interactions among amino acids-data that are difficult to extract from the more complex 3-D images.

Rensselaer Ranks High With U. S. NewsU.S. News & World Report once again places Rensselaer among the nations top 50 universities and rates the undergraduate engineering program at 15th in the nation, a jump from 17th last year. Rensselaer also ranks 34th as a great school at a great price, up from 42nd last year. Dean of Engineering Bud Baeslack credits the rankings climb to a forward-thinking atmosphere on campus and in the classroom.

Nanotube UnionThe perfect combination of irradiation, heat, and luck led Rensselaer researchers to weld together single-walled carbon nanotubes. The first-ever junction unites pure carbon cylinders with remarkable electronic properties. The researchers believe this discovery could pave the way for controlled fabrication of molecular circuits and nanotube networks.

Semiconductor Expert to Head Future Chips Research
E. Fred Schubert, a pioneer in semiconductor research, has been appointed Senior Distinguished Professor of the Future Chips Constellation at Rensselaer. Schuberts research has transformed traffic signals and runway lighting and could change residential lighting as we know it. At Rensselaer, he will advance research in imaging, lighting, sensing, and communications.

Crystal Rarity
In the ashes of an experiment to make superconducting nanotubes, researchers at Rensselaer found they had created rare symmetrical crystals of boron carbide. These large crystals, measuring a micron in size, rarely occur in nature at that size and could be harder than conventional engineering materials. Further research will determine potential applications of the material.

The Best DefenseRensselaer alumnus Anthony Tether 64 puts technology to work for our country's protection. He is the director of DARPA, the U. S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.